Watch winding system with watertight crown



WATCH WINDING SYSTEM WITH WATERTIGHT CROWN Filed April 7, 1960 FIG./

United States Patent 3,060,677 WATCH WINDING SYSTEM WITH WATERTIGHT CROWN John Simon, Tramelan, Switzerland Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,620 Claims priority, application Switzerland Sept. 28, 1959 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-90) The object of the present invention is to provide a winding system, for winding and setting the hands of a watch having a water-tight crown, and a cap operable to a Watch carrying position for protecting the crown and to a watch winding position for winding and setting the hands of a watch.

The enclosed drawing shows an example of the object of the present invention.

.FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a watch winding system arranged in the carrying position.

FIG. 2 is a cross section similar to FIG. 1 having the system arranged in the winding.

The watch winding system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a bezel-and-band unit 2 with a band 12 ending in concentric inner and outer annular projections 1a and 14 respectively, these elements having been machined out of a single part. The annular projection 14 has an exterior thread 15 on which a cap 16 can be removably screwed. The winding system comprises a crown 18 rigidly secured to the winding stem .13 and mounted on the circular projection 1a with an annular elastic packing fixed intermediate the crown 18 and the projection 1a.

This crown 18 fits between the circular projections 1a and 14 and has defined on its outer circumference adjacent the exteriorly threaded part of projection 14 longitudinal regularly spaced flutes 19; the cap 16 has on its upper face a recess 20, the inner circumference of which has the same diameter as the outer circumference of the crown and longitudinal flutes 21 complementary to flutes 19.

FIG. 1 shows the annular projection 14 with the screwed-on cap 16. The cap protects crown 18 and its packing against shocks, moisture and foreign particles. To rewind the watch or to set the hands, cap 16 is unscrewed, turned over and its flutes 21 complementarily engaged with those of the crown (FIG. 2).

Thus the cap crown 18 and stem 13 can thereby be rotated in both directions. It is possible to use a crown 18 of smaller diameter than usual and to give the cap 16 the dimensions of a standard crown.

Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a watch case including a bezel and band unit having concentric inner and outer annular projections with said outer projection being externally threaded, and a winding stem, having a winding end, rotatably mounted in said bezel and band unit, watertight control means for rotating said stem comprising: a crown rigidly secured to said winding end of the winding stem, said crown being radially too small to easily rotate by hand and having coupling means extending therefrom, said crown extending radially intermediate said concentric inner and outer annular projections and projecting axially therebeyond; an annular packing mounted inter- Patented Oct. 30, 1962 ice mediate said inner annular projection and said crown for establishing a watertight seal therebetween; and a cap having a depending peripheral flange interiorly tapped complementary to the externally threaded outer annular projection for engaging therewith in a first of two cap positions relative to said crown, said cap enclosing said axially projecting crown and said outer annular projection for protecting said annular packing in said first of two cap positions, and said cap defining an annular recess oppositely disposed from said depending peripheral flange, said recess having coupling means extending complementary to said coupling means on said crown and adapted to engage therewith in a second of said two cap positions when said cap is reversed to enclose only said annular crown axially projecting beyond said outer annular projection whereby said smaller crown is engaged by said complementary coupling means for rotation by said larger cap which is easily rotatable manually.

2. In combination with a watch case including a bezel and band unit having concentric inner and outer annular propections with said outer projection being externally threaded, and a winding stem, having a winding end, rotatably mounted in said bezel and band unit, watertight control means for rotating said stern comprising: a crown rigidly secured to said Winding end of the winding stem, said crown being radially too small to easily rotate by hand, said crown extending radially intermediate said concentric inner and outer annular projections and projecting axially therebeyond and having longitudinal corrugations circumferentially spaced around its peripheral surface; an annular packing mounted intermediate said inner annular projection and said crown for establishing a watertight seal therebetween; and a cap having a dependperipheral flange interiorly tapped complementary to the externally threaded outer annular projection for engaging therewith in a first of two cap positions relative to said crown, said cap enclosing said axially projecting crown and said outer annular projection for protecting said annular packing in said first of two cap positions, and said cap defining an annular recess oppositely disposed from said depending peripheral flange, said recess having longitudinal corrugations extending around its periphery complementary to said longitudinal corrugations on said crown and adapted to engage therewith in a second of said two cap positions when said cap is reversed to enclose only said annular crown axially projecting beyond said outer annular projection whereby said smaller crown is engaged by said complementary coupling means for rotation by said larger cap which is easily rotatable manually.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,526 Schrader July 19, 1898 969,680 Worrell Sept. 6, 1 910 1,135,573 Forsman Apr. 13, 1915 1,802,080 Jandoc Apr. 21, 1931 2,765,835 Pavkov Oct. 9, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 162,510 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1933 190,466 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1937 206,761 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1939 227,190 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1943 229,461 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1944 242,389 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1946 246,727 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1947 772,940 Great Britain Apr. 17, 1957 

